Modern vehicles use a variety of structures to protect the vehicle's occupants during a crash. Some of these structures are used to control the transmission of the crash energy to the passenger compartment while other structures, such as seat belts, head restraints, and air bags, are intended to restrain passenger movement during a crash, thereby preventing the passengers from hurting themselves as their bodies react to the crash forces. Side impact collisions present a particularly challenging problem to vehicle safety engineers, both due to the relatively low position of the rocker panels on many small vehicles as well as the difficulty of implementing an impact resistant side structure while taking into account vehicle doors and doorways.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,007,032, issued 30 Aug. 2011, discloses an automotive energy absorbing side structure that includes a wide-based B-pillar with an internal reinforcing tube, a rocker with an internal bulkhead, a rear rocker, and at least one cross-member extending inward from the rocker. The disclosed cross-members are designed to transfer impact loads to the floor, the cross-members and the tunnel brace.
An alternate approach to reducing intrusion into the passenger compartment during a side impact collision is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,410, issued 10 Oct. 2000. In the disclosed system, a reinforcement member is fixed to the B-pillar and coupled to the hinge plates of the vehicle's doors. During a side impact collision, impact energy is transferred through the vehicle's door hinges.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,857,377, issued 28 Dec. 2010, discloses an alternate system in which the B-pillars are hydro-formed to yield a stronger pillar. After forming, the tubular pillar is pinched near the bottom of the pillar to create a flange that can be joined to the rocker. Access openings are included in the pillar so that the pillar can be welded to the rocker assembly at multiple locations.
Although vehicle manufacturers use various structures and components to protect a vehicle's occupants during a side impact collision, typically these approaches provide only limited protection while significantly increasing vehicle weight. Accordingly, what is needed is an improved system for coupling a strong, preferably reinforced, B-pillar to the rocker panel, thereby achieving side impact safety. The present invention provides such a system.